Interference
by Shadows in the Light of Day
Summary: One of the unwritten laws for surviving in Russia's house is that you never, ever interfere with his punishment of your friends. Unless you're Lithuania. Then, no one's going to stop you. They're all too scared to stand up to Russia...but Estonia is going to change that.
1. Chapter 1

Estonia had never intended to interfere…but it wasn't as if he had had much choice.

It had all started the night before. Estonia was almost used to seeing Lithuania summoned or dragged off somewhere by Russia, only to return hours later bleeding and half-conscious. Sometimes Russia carried Lithuania upstairs; other times the eldest Baltic dragged himself up two flights of stairs to his room. It never seemed to occur to Lithuania that if he called for help, Estonia and Latvia would come…as soon as they made sure Russia wasn't within earshot. They never, ever interfered when Russia was there. It was the unwritten law. They could all be friends as long as Russia was in a good mood, but when he wasn't, it was every Baltic for himself. With the occasional exception of Lithuania stepping in to help the others, mostly Latvia.

What Estonia was not used to was waking up in the morning, going downstairs, and literally tripping over Lithuania. He had been half-asleep, stumbling downstairs, when his foot encountered something that was not part of the staircase.

Estonia let out a startled yelp as he felt himself beginning to fall. The blonde Baltic landed halfway down the stairs, hitting his head in the process.

Rubbing his injured head, Estonia turned to see what it was he had tripped over. He had not expected it to be a person, but that was what he found.

"Lithuania?"

The brown-haired boy was lying halfway up the stairs, apparently asleep. Confused, Estonia trotted back up to where Lithuania lay.

"Are you all right?" he whispered, shaking Lithuania gently, "Why did you fall asleep here…?"

There was no reply, nor any movement from Lithuania. Estonia frowned, and decided to try and carry Lithuania upstairs.

To his surprise, as he tried to lift Lithuania, his hand encountered a sticky substance. Startled, Estonia jerked back, and discovered that there was blood on his hand.

_"Oh…that explains it," _the blonde nation thought, _"But…it's not usually this bad…"_

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><p>Estonia finally did succeed in getting Lithuania upstairs, although it took a great deal of effort to do it without disturbing the rest of the household. Once they were safely in Lithuania's room, Estonia set about bandaging the other nation's injuries, all the while hoping that Lithuania would wake up and be feeling all right. However, considering the fact that Lithuania had spent at least part of the night passed out on the stairs, he knew it was an unlikely prospect.<p>

Once Lithuania's injuries were bandaged, Estonia slipped out of the room and went to prepare breakfast. He was already late as it was, and he was sure that there would be consequences for his tardiness, so he did not dare to linger upstairs any longer.

As he bustled about the kitchen, preparing breakfast, he heard soft footsteps in the hallway.

"Estonia?" a small voice asked, "Where's Lithuania?"

Estonia turned to face Latvia, who was standing in the doorway, looking decidedly lost.

"Lithuania's…not feeling well," Estonia said, "He's taking a day off."

"What happened?" Latvia whispered.

"I don't know," Estonia said, "I suspect it was…Mr. Russia."

"Why?" Latvia wondered aloud, "I never really understood why he does that...to us."

"I don't either…" Estonia murmured, "I've never understood it."

Latvia sighed, looking incredibly sad for such a small boy.

Hesitantly, Estonia wrapped his arms around Latvia, hoping to comfort the smaller nation. Latvia returned the embrace, still trembling despite the added warmth.

"You're always so shaky," Estonia commented.

"It's fear," Latvia mumbled.

"I know…" Estonia sighed.

For a few precious moments, the two Baltics stayed silent, slightly comforted by each other's presence. Finally, Estonia pulled away.

"We'd best get to work," he said softly, "Here, go and set the table, will you?"

Latvia nodded, then trotted off to the other room. Estonia stared after the younger nation for a few moments, then turned back to his work, sighing.

Estonia finished preparing breakfast and loaded it onto a tray, then marched off toward the dining room, vaguely wondering where Latvia was. However, when he reached the dining room, the blonde boy stopped short, startled and horrified by what he saw.

Latvia was cowering in the corner of the room, his violet eyes wide and fearful. Between Latvia and Estonia stood Russia, his metal pipe raised above his head to strike Latvia.

Latvia glanced desperately toward the doorway, and the horrified Estonia did not have time to pull away before his friend saw him.

_"Help me!" _Latvia's expression pleaded. Every remaining bit of Estonia's sanity was screaming at him not to interfere, to run away and hide as he had so many times before. But Lithuania had always been there before to shield Latvia, and now he wasn't. Now, if anything was to be done for Latvia, it would be up to Estonia.

And then there was a loud crash, as the tray Estonia had been carrying slipped through his fingers and fell to the floor.

As Estonia stared down at the shattered plates on the floor, he heard heavy footsteps approaching him.

"Do you want something, Estonia?" Russia asked, his voice dangerously soft.

Estonia realized then that it would make no difference what he did. He had broken one of the unwritten laws of Russia's house by being clumsy. Nothing could save him now.

"Y-yes, I do want something," Estonia said, "I want to know w-why Lithuania is unconscious upstairs, and I want to know why you keep h-hurting us for no reason! It's only plain and simple cruelty!"

He knew he had gone too far, but he couldn't stop now. It was time that Russia knew exactly what the Baltics thought of him, and Estonia was going to tell him.

"Punishment is one thing, torture is another. And this is torture. Punishment is administered to teach a lesson. Torture is living your life knowing that if you slip, if you fall, if you drop a plate, you will be beaten. Torture is knowing that while you are hiding in the corner, escaping punishment, your friend is paying the price for your mistake. Torture is lying in bed at night, listening to your friend screaming and knowing that it will be the same thing tomorrow, and the day after, and the day after that. I'm done with this!"

Estonia had half-expected to be cut off in the middle of his speech, but, to his surprise, it was immediately after he had finished that he felt something hard connect with his ribs. Estonia staggered backwards, gasping, only to fall backwards onto the floor.

As he stared fearfully up at Russia, the blonde nation vaguely noticed Latvia slipping through the other door, leaving him to his fate. He couldn't blame the tiny nation, though. Latvia had every right to flee.

"I thought you were the smart one," Russia said, glaring down at Estonia, "I see I overestimated you."

Estonia could feel himself shaking. He wanted nothing more than to apologize, to beg Russia to forgive him. But he knew it would do no good, so he forced himself to reply.

"Maybe I was finally smart enough to speak up against an insane tyrant!"

"You will take that back…" Russia said, his voice icy cold and ominous. "Now."

"No."

Estonia braced himself for the strike that would inevitably follow, but it did nothing to prepare him for the pain. Russia's weapon slammed into his ribs again. Estonia bit back a scream, knowing that if he did cry out, Latvia would hear it.

More blows followed, and soon Estonia was screaming, unable to stop himself. His ribs had given way under the repeated abuse… How did Lithuania stand this almost every night? It _hurt_...

Finally, mercifully, the torture ceased, leaving Estonia sobbing, gasping for breath.

"You have learned your lesson, da?" Russia asked.

Estonia struggled to speak, but found that he was unable to stop sobbing long enough to reply.

"Oh?" Russia said, sounding incredibly innocent, "Has my little Estonia not had enough? For an offense like this, you really should have some more punishment. I think you can spend a few nights in the basement…"

Estonia's eyes widened. He had never personally set foot in the feared basement, but he had seen Lithuania after Russia had locked the eldest Baltic down there in the darkness…

"Please… Russia…" he managed to gasp out, "I…can't…"

"Ssh," Russia commanded, "No protesting, da? Come along."

Estonia felt himself being lifted from the ground, and he was too weak to fight. He allowed Russia to carry him downstairs into a dark, cold room. He would not allow himself to appear weak by begging for forgiveness. But once Russia had left, Estonia collapsed, leaning against the wall, and cried.

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><p><strong>There will be at least one more chapter after this, and maybe one or two after that. It depends on whether or not I find a way to continue after chapter two. Please review? :) I've heard that it only takes thirty seconds or something like that...<strong>


	2. Chapter 2

Latvia had braced himself for the screams, even before they started. He knew he would hear them before the morning was over. Estonia would cry, would beg, would scream…and nothing would stop Russia until he was ready to be finished torturing the blonde Baltic. This Latvia knew to be certain.

When the screaming started, however, Latvia found that it was harder to ignore than he thought. For some reason, it seemed louder than Lithuania's cries… And then he realized why. Estonia had always been there, covering his ears, even though they had both known that Latvia could still hear the endless screaming.

And Estonia's screams were different, somehow. He seemed to be trying very hard not to cry out, unlike Lithuania, who seemed to be almost used to screaming.

Latvia waited, peeking cautiously through the crack between his almost closed door and the wall. He waited for the moment when either Estonia would limp upstairs to his room, or Russia would carry him there. But that moment…never came.

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><p>It was dark when he fell asleep, and it was dark again when he woke. But the darkness was different this time. The darkness he had fallen asleep in had been filled with desperation, with failing strength, with pain. Especially the pain.<p>

But when he awoke, the pain had lessened, and he was in his own bed. But he was still painfully alone, with no idea who had brought him there.

Lithuania knew he could not stay there in the darkness of his room, as much as he wanted to. The brunette Baltic got up slowly, wincing. Russia had hurt him badly this time, but he would heal. He always did.

He checked Estonia's room first, only to find it empty. Given the hour, this was an odd occurrence, and Lithuania began to feel worried.

Then, as he cautiously opened the doorway to Latvia's room, he heard the boy sobbing quietly.

"Latvia?" Lithuania whispered, "What's wrong?"

He went over to stand next to Latvia's bed, trying to discern the cause of Latvia's trouble.

"W-who's there?" Latvia whimpered, and Lithuania could tell that he had been crying.

"It's Lithuania," the brunette replied, "What _is_ the matter?"

He had prayed that this would not happen, that he would never have to hear the words he so feared. But, when Latvia sat up, crying, and clinging to him, he knew that something terrible had happened, even before Latvia spoke.

"I c-can't find Estonia!"

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><p>All through the long night, Lithuania stayed with Latvia. He knew he should be sleeping, but he also knew, that if Latvia did not rest, the smallest Baltic would have no strength to face the coming day. And they would need strength, if Estonia had been sentenced to the fate Lithuania feared he had. If Estonia had been locked in <em>there<em>, then God only knew when he would be let out.

Lithuania remembered the pain, terror, hunger…all the feelings that came from imprisonment in the dreaded basement. Had he been asked by anyone outside of their little 'family', he would not have described the basement as a basement, but as a torture chamber. In Russia's house, the words were synonyms. And, as far as Lithuania knew, he was the only one of the Baltics who had been locked in there before. There was a price to be paid for interfering with Russia's punishment of the others, something that Lithuania did…whenever he had the courage. Which was not as often as it should have been.

Yes, Lithuania knew, even before Russia told them, that Estonia had been locked in the basement. And he knew that there would be no escape for Estonia until Russia decided his punishment was at an end.

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><p>On the third day of Estonia's captivity, Lithuania decided that he would have to take action. As nations, they could not permanently die from lack of water…but that did not mean that thirst would not hurt them. He remembered all too well being locked down there in the darkness, dying the deaths of all his people who had ever died of thirst.<p>

Yes, Estonia had to have water as soon as possible, and Lithuania would have to be the one to get it to him. He could not possibly ask Latvia to make the journey down to the basement; could not allow the youngest Baltic to see Estonia in such a terrible state.

So, in the darkness, with only a small flashlight to guide him, Lithuania went down into the basement, a place which he remembered all too well. It brought back memories, coming down there, but he could not dwell on it now. He had a job to do, and it must be done quickly. If Russia caught him, then Lithuania had no idea what might happen.

He had stolen the key from Russia's coat the day before, as Russia had mercifully decided to wear a different outfit for once, and had neglected to remove the keys from his coat pocket.

As Lithuania cautiously inserted the key into the lock and opened the door, he tried to prepare himself for what he might find. He had no way of knowing how badly Estonia had been beaten beforehand, and, as he had been in there for more than three days, it would doubtless be a gruesome scene.

Still, Lithuania was shocked by his friend's appearance. Estonia was leaning against the wall, eyes closed, breathing shallow. There was blood on the floor and on his clothes, and, although it had dried long ago, it still added to the gruesome scene. His glasses were gone, and as Lithuania scanned the room, he saw them lying a short distance away from Estonia, shattered.

Lithuania knelt beside Estonia, trying to steady his shaking hands. If he spilled the water he was carrying…

But he did not, and as he cautiously tried to make Estonia drink the water, he began to see the other boy coming back to life.

It was not a painless awakening. Estonia was painfully weak, not surprising considering the circumstance, but Lithuania had not remembered looking so pitiful. When Estonia had finished the water, he leaned back against the wall again. Lithuania had intended to give Estonia the water and then flee, but as he began to get up, Estonia reached out for him.

"Please… Don't…don't leave me…" Estonia whimpered, so softly that Lithuania barely heard him. "I…I can't take this… How do you…stand it?"

Estonia was shaking, whimpering in pain, his left hand reaching up to adjust the glasses that were no longer there, trying to make it so he was able to see Lithuania. And, although Lithuania knew that lingering even for a moment increased his danger tenfold, he did not have the heart to leave the broken boy to the darkness and hunger and pain.

He would stay until Estonia fell asleep, to comfort him. Lithuania had always wished, alone with his pain, that he had someone to care for him.

He began to hum softly, stroking Estonia's hair. He sometimes forgot, although it was painfully obvious now, that Estonia was, after all, only a child. And children needed love, and comfort, something that was very rare when you lived in Russia's house. So he couldn't just leave him, even though he wanted to.

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><p><strong>Well, here's chapter two! :) I should not be smiling right now, but...I smile too much. So, I have a question. See, I've actually written two endings for this, because when I tried to write it the first time, it turned into a happy ending, so I tried again and got a depressing one. Still have to write the last chapter of the depressing one though. So, should I upload one first and then the other as an alternate? Please tell me in a review. :) <strong>


	3. Chapter 3 (Ending 1)

**So, you guys wanted me to upload both endings, so here's the first one! I'm uploading this one first, not because it's better, but because the other is two parts, and I haven't finished the second part yet. So, that'll be uploaded soon. **

**This is the supposedly 'happy' ending, which is just generally random and I think possibly a bit cliche for a Baltics-centric fic... Oh, whatever. Here, have the chapter. **

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><p>Lithuania had known that he would probably be caught. He had known that every moment that he stayed in the basement increased the danger of discovery. But he couldn't leave. He couldn't leave Estonia alone, he couldn't abandon Latvia upstairs, and he knew that if he was caught, then he would be leaving one or both of them alone.<p>

But, still, when the light came on, it frightened him.

"I thought I heard voices," Russia said, sounding incredibly annoyed, "Lithuania, you are breaking the rules."

"I…I can explain," Lithuania stammered.

"There is no need for the explaining, da?" Russia replied, "We all know why you are down here. You are interfering. I thought you would have learned your lesson, but you seem to not want to learn."

The larger nation's gaze flickered over to Estonia, who shrank back into the shadows, shaking.

"You haven't learned either," Russia said to the trembling nation, "Or you would be saying sorry."

"He's half dead, Russia," Lithuania protested, "If he was human, he would be dead. Humans can't live without water for long, and he's been down here three days. That's enough time for a human to die."

"That is how he learns," Russia said, "If he is never punished, he will keep on doing silly things. I am trying to teach him, and you are getting in the way. Why do you like getting in the way, Lithuania? Don't you see that I'm helping you all?"

"It's supposed to help us…?" Lithuania echoed, "Russia…why do you think that? Who made you believe that? Who hurt you and told you it was helping you? M-maybe no one did. But if they did…can you remember? Can you remember hurting for so long it made you crazy? It did make you crazy, didn't it? I…I'm very sorry for you."

For a moment, there was silence. Lithuania continued staring at the floor, too afraid to look up. When he finally did, he saw that Russia was still standing in the doorway, staring blankly at the metal pipe in his hands.

"Mr. Russia…?"

There was no reply, and Lithuania was confused. What had come over the larger nation? Ordinarily, Lithuania would have been the object of Russia's anger at this moment…but, instead, he was perfectly unharmed. It was starting to appear as if _Russia _had been harmed in some way.

Cautiously, Lithuania stood up. As he took a step toward Russia, he was stopped by a weak pull on his shirt.

Lithuania looked back at Estonia, who shook his head weakly.

_"Don't go!" _the blonde nation was clearly saying, _"He'll hurt you!"_

Lithuania sighed, and gently removed Estonia's hand from his jacket.

"I'm fine," he said softly, "I know how to handle… Russia?!"

In the moment that Lithuania had been distracted, Russia had gotten his hands on a gun, which had presumably been inside his coat. Lithuania's eyes widened, and he took a step back, trying to shield Estonia.

However, to his surprise, Russia did not move to fire the weapon. The larger nation's gaze flickered from Lithuania and Estonia to the gun, and back again.

"W-what are you d-doing?" Lithuania stuttered.

"Experimenting," said Russia, "I know it doesn't work to be killing me, but…maybe you have a choice to run away, da?"

"What are you talking about…?" Lithuania asked, "I don't…"

"You will," Russia replied.

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><p>There was supposed to be blood. And memories of his people dying…definitely, a lot memories. But instead…instead Russia felt nothing. He hadn't even fired the gun yet, hadn't even lifted it to his head. So…why couldn't he move his arms? And why in the world did it feel like someone was hugging him?<p>

"I won't let you," someone whispered, and Russia realized that there really was someone hugging him, pinning his arms to his sides.

Slowly, the tall nation opened his eyes and looked down. He hadn't known what to expect, but this had not even crossed his mind.

"L…Lithuania?"

"Don't even think about it," Lithuania whispered, "I know you could get free of me if you wanted to, but you don't want to shoot yourself…even if you won't die…it will _hurt_. I remember…"

And Russia remembered too, when he had finally gotten fed up with Lithuania and tried to silence him with a gun, because nothing else would.

"B-but, you don't want to stay here," Russia said, "So you could run away while I was out and…"

"And then no one would be left to help you," Lithuania murmured, "You'd be…dead…until someone found you. It _hurts _when that happens."

"You shouldn't even care," Russia said, trying to loosen the brunette's grip, "You should want to leave."

"I do…" Lithuania whispered, "But then I don't."

"I…I am not understanding," Russia said, confused.

"I don't either," Lithuania said, "But…Mr. Russia…sometimes…when I look at you…I see…I see my own feelings… I see what I might become someday... That's why I think…I think someone hurt you."

"You should not be worrying," Russia said, finally succeeding in getting the smaller nation off of him, "Now, you will be taking Estonia upstairs, da?"

Lithuania stared at him, his expression at once disbelieving and hopeful.

"Go," Russia said, "Now, quickly. There will be no more…no more hurting tonight."

The brunette Baltic stared at him for another moment, then slowly turned away. While Lithuania's back was turned, Russia silently left, leaving only his gun, abandoned on the floor.

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><p><strong>I have this annoying feeling that this is incredibly cliche. I also feel like Russia is rather OOC...make that very OOC...in this chapter. But it literally wrote itself. This was not what I planned to write when I sat down a few days ago. <strong>

**Anyways, this is the 'happy' ending. The other one will have two chapters at least, and will probably not be uploaded until Monday, since I have computer restriction on Sunday. I'm also debating a sequel to this...maybe... If I do do a sequel, it will go off into not-historically-accurate land, I'm sure... **

**Okay, I ramble a lot, so I'll shut my face now. **

**Review please, even if this chapter is incredibly horrible? :)**


	4. Chapter 4 (Ending 2, Part 1)

**Well, I'm back, with the alternate ending. Actually, this is only the first half of the alternate-the other half will come when I finish it, so probably tomorrow. **

**Anyways, this was what I was trying to write with the other one, and I think I've succeeded better with this chapter. Hope so, anyways. :) This is also the ending the possible sequel will be based off, although the premise of the sequel won't be hinted at until next chapter...**

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><p>When the lights came on, Lithuania didn't move. He could have, could have stood up and faced Russia. But, instead, he remained kneeling next to Estonia, until he felt a cold touch on his shoulder.<p>

"You know better than to be down here, da?" Russia asked.

"Y-yes," Lithuania stammered, "But I…I couldn't stay away."

"You are so very pathetically funny," Russia said, sounding amused, "How loyal you act sometimes, when other times you leave them. And you can't decide which one you love more, can you? Even now, you are wondering if you should have chosen Estonia over Latvia."

"I wouldn't have willingly chosen between them," Lithuania said, "You forced me to. I…I didn't have any other option but to choose, and Estonia would have died if I didn't choose him…"

"He would come back," Russia said unfeelingly, "He is the smart one, da? Maybe he would learn from this. Unlike you…you never seem to learn from any of thse punishments. It is funny, you are my favorite…but you don't know what's good for you."

"What's good for me…?" Lithuania said slowly, "Maybe what's good for me is different than what you think? Why do you think that hurting people will mend their faults? Don't we all have faults?"

"You should learn to be better," Russia said, "Until you do, this will keep happening. Now…I think you can stay down here for a while, since you seem to like it…but we can't have you close to Estonia. He'll never learn anything if you're always there to make the punishment seem like normal life."

Lithuania felt Russia's large hands grab onto his shoulders, pulling him away from Estonia. He tried to smile at his friend, but found that he could not.

"Well," said Russia, as he dragged Lithuania away, "Where shall we put you?"

"Please let go!" Lithuania gasped, struggling to loosen the larger nation's grip, "You're hurting me!"

"Lithuania, won't you ever realize?" Russia asked, "The only way I can teach you to behave is by hurting you. Pain will teach you."

"Russia…please… Just listen…"

"No!" Russia said, his voice growing more sinister, "I will not be listening! You listen to me! I am the head of this family, da? So I make the rules. Any of my family who does not follow my rules…must be punished. I don't like to punish you, you know that. But I have to. It will help you."

"Russia, it's not helping!" Lithuania screamed, frustrated, "Do you want to know why Latvia is always trembling? It's because of you! Because of what you do to him, to us! He's scared to death of you, can't you see it? Can't you see what you're doing to us all?"

The pressure on Lithuania's shoulders built, until the small nation found himself kneeling on the floor. He looked up slowly, to find himself staring into Russia's cold, angry eyes.

"You…" Russia said, his voice low and angry, "Don't ever question my judgment! I am not mad, no matter what they say, and I'm not doing anything wrong!"

Lithuania looked away, frightened by the Russian's angry expression.

"Mr. Russia," he said, "I'm sorry…but I can't believe that."

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><p>Lithuania wanted to die. It would be better that way, if the pain would just <em>stop<em>. But if he did die, here in the darkness, he wouldn't really be gone at all. He would just die a thousand deaths, each one belonging to a different person who was a part of him, until someone finally revived him.

But as a human…as a human, he could have died. He would have, whether of thirst, hunger, beating, or in war. He would be dead, most likely at Russia's hand. He wondered if it would make a difference to Russia if one of the Baltics were to die. Perhaps if they were really capable of dying, then it might make a difference to the larger nation. And then they wouldn't be in torment anymore, either, if they were gone.

And yet, he couldn't bring himself to hate Russia for the pain they were put through. Because he thought that he understood why. There had been a time when he hadn't been able to figure it out…and then he finally remembered. He remembered certain incidents of Russia's childhood that he had seen himself or been told about, and he realized that Russia had never really had a friend. Even as a child, Lithuania had been frightened of the strange country, and the fear had only grown, so other countries probably felt the same. So Russia was only doing to the Baltics what everyone had done to him as a child, not remembering how much it hurt to be bullied. And there was insanity to factor in…because Russia was definitely not completely sane. So bullying had turned into abuse, and Russia probably didn't even realize how much he was hurting them.

Of course, considering he was currently suspended from a ceiling, awaiting punishment, Lithuania suspected that this would be one of the days when he would find it very hard to keep pitying Russia.

The other nation had gone off to get something, presumably a weapon. Far too soon, Russia was back, carrying his beloved metal pipe.

Lithuania heard a whimper from the other side of the room, and could just distinguish Estonia shrinking further into the shadows.

"You don't have to do this, Russia," Lithuania whispered, "You could try a different method. Try caring instead of hurting. It might work…you might be surprised."

"I know what works," Russia said, and raised the pipe over his head. Lithuania sighed and closed his eyes, bracing himself for the strike that would inevitably follow.

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><p>Estonia watched from the shadows, horrified by what he saw, but unable to look away. The beating he had been given three days before had been brutal, but Estonia was fairly certain that it was nothing compared to the way Russia was treating Lithuania. The older nation's screams echoed through the cold, stone room, and all Estonia could do was watch. Even if he had had the strength to move, he was sure he wouldn't have, except to run away. Because now he knew. He realized how much it hurt to be beaten half to death, and his punishment had been trivial compared to what Russia was inflicting on Lithuania.<p>

And as he stared at Lithuania, watched as the brunet nation screamed and begged for the beating to stop, watched as blood began to run down Lithuania's body and onto the floor, the other nation looked over at him through desperate, tortured green eyes, and actually smiled for a second, before the next strike hit him, and he began screaming again.

When the beating finally stopped, Russia turned away, silently, leaving Lithuania suspended from the ceiling by thick chains around his wrists. The eldest Baltic was sobbing, trying to catch his breath and regain his composure. And yet, as Russia left, Estonia saw Lithuania's face soften slightly. It looked almost as if Lithuania, who had been beaten within an inch of his life, actually pitied Russia, who had inflicted all this pain upon them all.

And Estonia couldn't figure it out. He could not understand how Lithuania could possibly pity Russia, when Russia had turned their peaceful lives into hell. And he couldn't understand, as he watched Lithuania struggling just to keep on breathing, why the eldest Baltic didn't leave. Because he could have, certainly, if he had wanted to. Couldn't he?

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><p><strong>That last bit is so RANDOM... Ignore me and my weirdness. Anyways, next time will be the conclusion of this fic, although I plan to write a sequel soon. :) <strong>


	5. Chapter 5 (Ending 2, Part 2)

**Hey, awesome readers! I'm finally back, with the final chapter! This one does contain a slight reference to another fic of mine, _Why Does He Hurt Us?,_ but it's not necessary to read that to understand this. Anyways, hope you enjoy! **

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><p>Latvia woke up to screaming in the dead of night. At first, he couldn't figure out what it was. When he had fallen asleep, Lithuania had been fine, and they hadn't heard from Estonia in days…<p>

But he could identify the screams, and it was undoubtedly Lithuania screaming.

_"What happened?"_ Latvia thought,_ "Why is Russia hurting Lithuania…again?"_

Latvia was used to it being his fault when Lithuania was punished. Sometimes it was the brunet's own doing, as well, but lately Lithuania had been able to get away without being hurt a little more frequently…

_"Except for that one time," _Latvia remembered, _"The day he was too hurt to come downstairs…the day Estonia…"_

He ripped himself away from the thought; not wanting to remember Estonia's terrified face, and the screaming that had followed Latvia as he fled.

_"I always leave them alone," _the small nation thought sadly, _"I'm never able to do anything to help them…because they're always saving me. I never stand up for myself. Never."_

And it had never really occurred to him that he could step in. That had always been Lithuania's duty, and he and Estonia had never interfered with anything Russia did, only cowered away in fear. But then Estonia had...had sacrificed himself, if only temporarily, to help Latvia, who had been completely _useless _in every respect.

And the screaming continued, growing fainter and fainter until it finally faded away.

Latvia whimpered, curling up in the corner of his bed, and wishing that the others were there. It was terrifying, being alone upstairs when he was used to having the other two Baltics with him.

Then, he heard heavy footsteps in the corridor, footsteps when no one should have been coming to this hallway at this hour.

_"W-what is he doing on this floor?" _Latvia thought fearfully, huddling closer to the wall, _"Please don't let him be coming in here…"_

And then, he heard his door screech as it was forced open.

"Latvia?" Russia's voice asked, "Are you awake?"

"Y-yes, Mr. Russia," Latvia stammered, frightened.

_"What did I do?!"_

"I am having question," Russia said, stepping inside the room and shutting the door behind him, "Do you want to defy me too?"

"I…I d-don't know what you m-mean," Latvia stuttered.

"So you _are_ wanting to disobey me," Russia said. It was not a question.

"N-no, Mr. Russia, I don't!" Latvia said, hearing a pleading tone in his own voice, which he failed to keep level.

_"How do Lithuania and Estonia stop themselves from shaking? How do they stop their voices from cracking? Why can't I be stronger...?"_

"You have been influenced by Lithuania's disobedience," Russia said ominously, "Estonia was, and you are much more impressionable, da? How long has it been, little Latvia, since you were punished for something you did?"

Latvia thought for a while. It had been some time. The last time it had happened, Estonia had stepped in. The time before that, it had been Lithuania. He still remembered cowering in the hallway, his shoulder throbbing and possibly broken where he had been hit by Russia's pipe, and seeing Lithuania run down the corridor, past a startled, frozen Estonia, and practically throw himself between Russia and Latvia. Then, Russia had dragged Lithuania off somewhere, and by the time the eldest Baltic had returned, he was bleeding and half-conscious. It was possibly the worst Latvia had ever seen his friend beaten, and it had been all his fault that Lithuania was hurt. After that, Russia had been fairly calm for a while. So, it had been some time...

"A...a few weeks...sir... But... Please... I...I'm not trying to disobey you..."

"You know something?" Russia asked, "I don't think I believe you. You hang around Lithuania and Estonia, go crying to them for comfort...surely you think a great deal of them? So you must be influenced by their actions these past days. I must be sure you will not be following in their footsteps."

"I'm not!" Latvia whimpered, "I promise I'm not! Please, Mr. Russia...don't hurt me..."

"You think I want to?" Russia said softly, "I don't... But I have to make sure you know what the punishment will be for following in your interfering friends' footsteps. You will be getting up now, da?"

"Please..." Latvia whispered.

"Stand up," Russia said sternly, "Do as you're told, or my fear that Lithuania and Estonia are influencing you will be confirmed."

Whimpering, Latvia obeyed, feeling his ever-constant trembling increase.

Without warning, he found himself slammed against the wall, Russia's hands wrapping around his throat. The small nation began to panic as he felt his air supply cut off. Due to the difference in size between him and Russia, his feet were no longer even touching the ground.

"You move so slowly," Russia hissed, "That's defiant, without even speaking. Your speaking, it does not always have to be the only kind of defiance. You are learning from Lithuania and Estonia some very bad habits. Perhaps it would be best if you were not speaking to them any more..."

If he hadn't currently been being strangled, Latvia would have cried aloud at the mere thought of it.

_"I can't be separated from them-they're all I have! Where are they?! What did you do to them, Mr. Russia?! When are they coming back? Someone, help me!"_

A moment later, the pressure on his throat released, and Latvia fell to the ground, gasping for breath.

"You are so tiny," Russia said, sounding distracted, "And so fragile. I see why Lithuania is so quick to interfere to save you, small, weak Latvia. He is afraid of me hurting you too much. Do you know something? He can't decide between you and Estonia. I was thinking he favored you. But then I found him down in the basement, giving Estonia water. They'll both be down there for a while. Well, little Latvia, I think that I will not be punishing you very much tonight. I will save it for another time-perhaps tomorrow, in daylight, when I can see you properly. If this rebellious attitude you are developing goes away, then I will not be having to punish you at all."

"T-thank you, Mr. Russia," Latvia said, hating himself for thanking the larger nation.

"Da," Russia said, "That is better. That should be a much better attitude for you than the interfering, defying way the other two treat me."

And, with that, Russia left, leaving Latvia completely and utterly alone.

* * *

><p>For the next five days, Latvia was alone. He did his chores alone, and cried himself to sleep alone. They only person he interacted with during that time was Russia, for reasons he could not understand. Ukraine and Belarus usually spoke with him sometimes, but he hadn't seen them at all in that time. In addition, he had been forced to take his meals separately from Russia and his sisters.<p>

Then, on the morning of the sixth day, Latvia was interrupted by a knock on his door as he was getting dressed.

"C-come in," the smallest Baltic whispered.

As he had feared, it was Russia. The taller nation smiled slightly at Latvia, although his eyes were cold.

"Finish dressing, little Latvia, and come with me," Russia said, "There is a task for you to do, da?"

"Y-yes, Mr. Russia," Latvia murmured, pulling on his jacket. "I'm ready."

"Good," Russia said, and turned away. Without a word, Latvia followed.

They passed Estonia's room, and then Lithuania's, and Latvia began to be confused. Where could they be going?

Then, Russia paused at the last room in the hallway, and pushed the door open. Then, he stepped back, revealing the contents of the room to Latvia, who could only stare in shock.

The room was empty, save for two beds against the far wall. Lying there, completely still, were Lithuania and Estonia.

"Get them water, clean them up, and make sure they're breathing normally again," Russia said, "Then leave. You are not allowed to speak with them until I say so, understood?"

"Mr. Russia... Please..." Latvia whispered, "I can't...can't live without..."

"You have grown too attached to your disobedient friends," Russia snapped, his voice growing less calm, "It is time you were learning to stop relying on others. Everyone will leave you, little Latvia. You may hope for friends, and think you have them...but they all leave you. Everyone left me before, da? You will all leave me, someday. And they will leave you too. Everyone leaves someday."

And, with that, Russia left the room, leaving Latvia to tend to his unconscious-and, technically, dead-friends.

The small nation hesitantly approached Lithuania and Estonia and began to tend to their injuries. Both were severely injured, with varying degrees of cuts and bruises.

Latvia went to Estonia first, both because he hadn't seen the blonde nation in so long, and because he was not used to seeing Estonia so pale and still, and it frightened him. Besides...Estonia had never been _dead _before. Latvia recognized the vacancy, the lack of any movement, although he had only just glimpsed it before in one of his friends. In his people, he had seen it a thousand, no, more like a million times. Estonia had always shoved him out of the room when Lithuania was brought back like this. But there was no one to shield Latvia this time. And, besides, it was actually easier with his friends...gone. They didn't cry out, or wince as Latvia bandaged their wounds.

But there was still bringing them back to consider. The small nation had decided that while Lithuania's 'death' was probably at least semi-induced by the terrible wounds on his back and chest, Estonia's case was different. Looking around the room, Latvia's eyes fell upon a pitcher of water and two glasses.

_"Water? Is that a hint?"_

He decided that it probably was, and proceeded to attempt reviving Estonia. To his relief, the blonde Baltic started to stir a little, moaning.

_"I want to stay and help them more...but Mr. Russia said..."_

Latvia now knew, if he hadn't before, the true extent of what Russia was capable of, and he refused to endanger his friends further by lingering. At least, that was what he told himself. But, as he turned away, he heard a small voice in the back of his mind that whispered the truth.

_"Coward... All you are, Raivis Galante, is a coward. You're leaving your friends because you're too scared of the punishment you might get for disobeying Russia..."_

* * *

><p><strong>This should have been finished days ago, I know. I've been getting these really bad headaches, which have made it hard to write... But I hope to get back into the swing of things soon. God, if I have to go to another doctor... I've already been three times over the summer. Anyways, moving on. <strong>

**So, although this is the last chapter of _Interference_, I fully plan to write a sequel, provided I get over these headaches and get some inspiration. I'm not sure what the sequel is going to be called yet, but it should be written within the next couple weeks, so watch for that. :) **

**I hope you all enjoyed this, and I hope to get the sequel written soon! And, review please? Just so I know if you liked/didn't like it, and why? (I'm terrible at answering reviews though, I'll warn you...but I do read them all, and if you PM me I WILL answer. Anyways, shutting up. **

**Thanks to those who reviewed previous chapters, it really makes my day. :D OK, now I really am going to be quiet.**


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